Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries
The standard industrial vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) stack is made of thick graphite bipolar plates to support the flow field required for optimal circulation of electrolyte. These thick plates suffer from electrolyte seepage, poor mechanical properties, and high machining and processing costs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Next Energy |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949821X24001066 |
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| author | Laxman Kumar Kundarapu M. Maruthi Prasanna Sreenivas Jayanti |
| author_facet | Laxman Kumar Kundarapu M. Maruthi Prasanna Sreenivas Jayanti |
| author_sort | Laxman Kumar Kundarapu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The standard industrial vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) stack is made of thick graphite bipolar plates to support the flow field required for optimal circulation of electrolyte. These thick plates suffer from electrolyte seepage, poor mechanical properties, and high machining and processing costs. In the present study, we report on the use of metallic bipolar plates for the construction of the VRFB cell. We show, through comprehensive electrochemical and hydrodynamic investigations, that Hastelloy C276, a corrosion-resistant high Nickel alloy, is a suitable bipolar plate material in VRFB cells. We show further that surface texture modification, in the form of a mix of concave and convex spherical indentations on the metallic bipolar plate, can have beneficial effects on cell performance. Comparative experiments on medium-size cells of a nominal area of 440 cm2 operating in the current density range of 75–125 mA/cm2 show that discharge energy gains of 25% or higher can be obtained together with a 10–15% reduction in pressure drop in comparison with similar cells with flat bipolar plates. It is posited that the concave indentations spread over the entire area ensure uniform electrolyte circulation while regions of low and high electrode compression create flow channeling possibilities that lead to reduced pressure drop. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8b0b49c4599d40b6827ff66dd526468b |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2949-821X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Next Energy |
| spelling | doaj-art-8b0b49c4599d40b6827ff66dd526468b2025-08-20T03:00:50ZengElsevierNext Energy2949-821X2025-01-01610020110.1016/j.nxener.2024.100201Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteriesLaxman Kumar Kundarapu0M. Maruthi Prasanna1Sreenivas Jayanti2Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India; Department of Chemical Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, IndiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, IndiaDepartment of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, 600036, India; Corresponding author.The standard industrial vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) stack is made of thick graphite bipolar plates to support the flow field required for optimal circulation of electrolyte. These thick plates suffer from electrolyte seepage, poor mechanical properties, and high machining and processing costs. In the present study, we report on the use of metallic bipolar plates for the construction of the VRFB cell. We show, through comprehensive electrochemical and hydrodynamic investigations, that Hastelloy C276, a corrosion-resistant high Nickel alloy, is a suitable bipolar plate material in VRFB cells. We show further that surface texture modification, in the form of a mix of concave and convex spherical indentations on the metallic bipolar plate, can have beneficial effects on cell performance. Comparative experiments on medium-size cells of a nominal area of 440 cm2 operating in the current density range of 75–125 mA/cm2 show that discharge energy gains of 25% or higher can be obtained together with a 10–15% reduction in pressure drop in comparison with similar cells with flat bipolar plates. It is posited that the concave indentations spread over the entire area ensure uniform electrolyte circulation while regions of low and high electrode compression create flow channeling possibilities that lead to reduced pressure drop.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949821X24001066Energy storageRedox flow batteriesStack designBipolar platesSurface indentationsElectrochemical performance |
| spellingShingle | Laxman Kumar Kundarapu M. Maruthi Prasanna Sreenivas Jayanti Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries Next Energy Energy storage Redox flow batteries Stack design Bipolar plates Surface indentations Electrochemical performance |
| title | Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries |
| title_full | Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries |
| title_fullStr | Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries |
| title_full_unstemmed | Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries |
| title_short | Indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries |
| title_sort | indented metallic bipolar plates for vanadium redox flow batteries |
| topic | Energy storage Redox flow batteries Stack design Bipolar plates Surface indentations Electrochemical performance |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2949821X24001066 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT laxmankumarkundarapu indentedmetallicbipolarplatesforvanadiumredoxflowbatteries AT mmaruthiprasanna indentedmetallicbipolarplatesforvanadiumredoxflowbatteries AT sreenivasjayanti indentedmetallicbipolarplatesforvanadiumredoxflowbatteries |